Welding device



Dec. 18, 1945. ENiN E 2,391,292

WELDING DEVICE Filed Jan. 15, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 18, 1945.

J. BRENZINGER WELDING DEVICE Filed Jan. ,15, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. Jul/us firmzz'qger BY I Wm Patented Dec. 18, 1945 WELDING DEVICE Julius Brenzinger, Fairfield, Conn, assignor to The Max Ams Machine Company, Bridgeport, (301111., a corporation of Connecticut Application January 15, 1944, Serial No. 518,341

2 Claims.

This invention relates to welding devices, especially such that employ a transformer as part of the welding means and which are used in the welding of overlapped flanges in two spacedapart welding zones of a hollow body of sheetmaterial such as a can-body. The invention has for its main object and feature the provision of means whereby the welds in the different zones will be of substantially uniform character, i. e. that the same volume of current will pass through both Welding zones so that the two Welds will have substantially equal strength, and that welds in successive bodies will be of substantially uniform character, and to do this by simple means. capable of acting in quick succession and without the necessity of frequent substitution of parts.

In the accompanying drawings, the invention is disclosed in a concrete and presently preferred form, in which:

Fig. l is a top plan view, partly in section, of a device embodying the invention;

' Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the circuits than'can be utilized in connection with the device;-

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view substantially on the plane of line 3-3 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a canbody constituting an example of the work to be acted upon by the device;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view substantially on the plane of line 55 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view, on an enlarged scale, substantially on the plane of line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

It will facilitate an understanding of the invention if reference is first made to Fig. 4 which shows a can-body l having a side seam ll, for the greater part of its length, composed of the usual interlocking hooks well known in the art. At the upper and lower ends of said hollow body, it is provided with over-lapping flanges l2 and i3, and it is these flanges it is desired to weld together for the purpose clearly described in my Patent No. 1,542,662 of June 16, 1925. Reference numbers I4 and I indicate the two welds or welding zones of the hollow body, and it will be apparent that said welding zones are spaced apart lengthwise of said hollow body.

In accordance with well-understood practice in. the art, hollow bodies such as ID are advanced over a horn Is by suitable means such as reciprocatory feeding members I! having the conven tional spring-pressed dogs l8 that engage the end of hollow body ID to advance it over the horn. During its passage over the horn, the can-body can be subjected to various operations, one of which can be a welding operation, and it is the means for carrying out such welding operation that constitutes the subject matter of the instant invention.

[9 and 29 indicate the primaries and 2i and 22 the secondaries of a transformer. Each secondary is pivotally supported at 23 or 24 independently of the other in suitable bearings 25 or 23, and extends through its complem tary prim ry. Said secondaries are connected in series at their pivotally supported ends by flexible means such as strips 21 to permit said secondaries to swing about their pivots to a slightly different extent. At their free ends, said secondaries are provided with brackets 28 or 29 bolted thereto by bolts 30. Brackets 28 or 29 have open bearings 3| or 32 to receive pintles 33 of rotatable terminal members 34 or 35 of the secondaries aforesaid. These terminal members are adapted to engage body I ll at the spaced-apart welding zones l4 and I5. Specifically, pintle 33 is provided with an integral upstanding flange 33a forming a cheek-plate for one side of the terminal member, and to which it is attached by means of another cheek-plate 33b and screws 33c.

36 is a lifting device to move said secondaries about their pivotal supports 23 and 24 to cause said terminal member to be engaged with and disengaged from hollow body In. As here sh wn, said lifting device is in the nature of a platform yieldingly supported by means of springs 3'! on framework 38, and pivotally connected by means of links 39 to brackets 40 also on the framework. 4| are supporting members carried by platform 36 and connected at 42 with bearings 3! Or 32 of brackets 28 or 29. 43 is a rotating shaft carrying a cam 44, and engaging with this cam is a cam roller 45 on a lever 46 connected as by means of angle-plates and pivots 41a to platform Springs 31 tendto urge platform 33 upwardly to bring rotatable terminal members 34 and 35 into contact with hollow body l9 under a yielding pressure, and cam 44 acts to pull said terminal members downwardly away from said hollow body.

Suitable means are provided to intermittently turn rotatable terminal members 34 and 35 a fraction of a revolution. In the present instance, each pintle 33 carries a ratchet 48, with which is associated a pawl 49, pivotally supported at 50, that is urged into engagement with said ratchet by means of a spring 5|. It will be understood that each time the secondaries, and therefore the terminal members, move upwardly, each ratchet 48 is turned the distance of one tooth. 52 is a stop-pawl engaging the ratchet to prevent backward rotation. The welding operation leaves a slight tin deposit on the terminal members, and the slight turning movement of these is for the purpose of presenting a clean new surface in the welding zone so as to have the welding action substantially uniform on successive hollow bodies. The secondaries, strips 21, brackets 28 and 29, bearings 3| and 32, pintles 33, flanges 33a, cheekplates 33b, and terminal members 34 and 35 are all made of good conductive material such. as copper.

I-Iorn I6 is provided with a recess 53 in its surface which is covered by a hollow body 10- when the latter comes into position to be welded. 54 is a circuit-closing member biased to occupy a nonoperating position, being pivoted at 55- on the" upper end of lever 56 and urged into the tiltedposition shown in Fig. by means of spring 51, carried bylever 56, acting'against pin- 58. Lever 56' is pivoted at 59 andcarries at its lower end a camroll 60 to engage cam El on'shaft 43. A spring Gil-tendsto urge cam roll Ell; against cam 6|. Cam 6| is so timed that it rocksthe upper end of lever 56 toward horn I 6 when, in the normal operation of the device, abody l0 covers recess 53 ofsaid horn. Circuit-closing member 54' is provided with a detector finger 63 which, in the event that there is no body H11 in position on the horn, enters recess--53, in consequence of which said circuit-closing member remains in non-operating position (Fig. ,5). But, if a body i0 is in position as in Fig. 6, then the detector finger encounters said" body and. moves the cir cuit-closing' member into operating, position. Such movement into operating position can, of course, be utilized in many ways to close a circuit through primaries Iii-and 20. In the present instance, member 54' carries a' spring 64 which, in the circumstances just recited, presses. upon a control button 65 and closes'a contact in switch 66 (Fig; '2) and energizes a magnet 61', which, in turn, closes double-throwiswitch 68 and establishes a circuit in series through primaries l9 and 20. After the welds are made, the upper portion of lever 56 is moved away from the born, by rotation of cam 61 and consequently the circuit through primaries l 9 and 20 is broken. Thus the transformer is intermittently energized to correspond. with the advance of a. body [I] into welding position and',if no body "I arrives at said welding position, the circuit throughprimaries l9 and 20 is not closed. i

So far, the connections-from the secondaries up to terminal members 34 and 35 at the welding zones have been traced, and it is now remains to show how the distance between said welding zones is bridged. j

69 is a conductive member, carriedby the horn, to engage. the interior surface of hollow body- Ill and to bridge the distance between thetwo welding. zones. Preferably, this member is. in. the form of a. sleeve. provided with removable rings in the welding zones. Member 69 and rings 10 are of good conductivematerial, such as copper, and said rings. are removable sothatthe tin deposit thereomdue to the welding action, can be cl'eaned' off without the necessity of removing sleeve 69'; For the purpose of presenting new contact surfaces during successivewelding operations, means-are provided'to intermittently vary the position of conductive member 6.9. In the present instance, said conductive member is given both a rotating and a lengthwise back-and-forth movement, the resultant of which could be called an undulating movement. Specifically the means for mounting, and varying the position of, conductive member 69 are as follows: .1! is a stationary shaft mounted within the horn. Rotatably and slidably mounted on said shaft is a sleeve 72 which at one end carries a ratchet T3 and at its other end acam l4. Mounted loosely on shaft H, at a point adjacent ratchet 13, is a ring carrying a pivotally supported pawl 76. A spring 1-? tends to urge said rin in one direction, and

v another spring 18 tends to urge pawl 76 into engagement with ratchet 13. Ring 15 carries an abutment roller "[9 with which reciprocatory member IT engages, as a cam, on its stroke in one directionto thereby turn ring 15 against the action of spring 11. This causes pawl 16 to turn ratchet 13 the distance of one tooth, thus imparting one step to sleeve 72 and cam M. Ad-

jacent cam 14 is another and stationary cam 80,

and it will beunderstood that. engagement or the faces of cams T4. and 801 will cause sleeve 12 to move back and forth lengthwise. terposed between a. stationary member 82 and a portion of ratchet 13, carried bysleeve 12-; serves to keep cams M and incontact at all times. Formed integrally with sleeve: 12 are two-pinions 83. Conductive member 69 is in the form of'a shell, having internal gears- 84 to mesh with pinions 83. 'This shell 69 is afloating member that merely hangs on sleeve 12, suitable guides 85 being provided on the horn to keep it in position. Said shell aI'so moves lengthwise with sleeve 12 by being interposed between projections 86' and 81 of said-sleeve l2;

From the foregoing it will be understood that, when a body H] is moved into welding position, reciprocatory member i1, through the connections described, will turn and move endw-ise conductive member or shell 69' so as-to present clean contact surfaces in the welding zones. Also, rotation of cam 44 will move termin-al'members 34 and 35 upwardly, secondaries 2| and 22 turning on their pivots 23 and 24, whereby said terminal members will engage body Nil underyieldingpressure tl: at allows a'slight discrepancy in the-'turning movement of said secondaries. During the rising movementof terminal members 34 and 35', they are given a slight turning movement by the interaction of ratchet's 48 and pawls'89 so as to present clain contact surfaces in the welding zones. A body ill being in position to cover recess 53, the circuit-closing member carried by lever 55 Will be moved into operating position, when the upper end of said lever 55' is moved toward the horn by cam El. This establishes a momentary circuit through primaries I9 and 20, and induces a circuit in secondaries 2| and 22,, strips 2?, terminal members 34 and 35, overlapping flanges l2 and i3 of body ill and conductive member 69.

I claim: 1

1. In a device for welding overlapped: flanges of a hollow body of sheet-material, in which device a transformer, having primaries and'secondaries, is employed as part of the welding means, and in which device said hollow body is advanced on a horn, means to establish an energizing circuit through said primaries including: in combination with said horn, having a recessed portion to be covered by said hollow body; of a circuitclosing element biased to occupy a non-operative position and to be moved to an operative. position ing said recessed portion of said horn; and means A spring 8l i'nto periodically move said circuit-closing element toward and away from said recessed portion of said horn in timed relation to the presence of a hollow body covering the recessed portion aforesaid.

2. In a device for welding overlapped flanges of a hollow body of sheet-material, in which device a transformer, having primaries and secondaries, is employed as part of the welding means,

and in which device said hollow body is advanced on a horn; two pinions supported interiorly of said horn; means to rotate said pinions step by step; and a conductive member to form a part of the circuit through said secondaries, said conductive member comprising a shell having interiOr gears to be supported by, and mesh with, said pinions.

JULIUS BRENZINGER. 

